Christmas Break
by etherealdiscord
Summary: I know it's almost summer, but when an idea comes, can you really turn it down? Joan, Adam and Grace return to Maryland on Christmas vacation after being in college for five months.
1. Default Chapter

Title: Christmas Break  
  
Author: Payton Tyler  
  
Email: darkserene@glitterbomb.com  
  
Pairing: A/J, G/L  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoiler: Everything from The Pilot to Silence. (Episodes 1-23)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own it  
  
Summary: Joan, Adam and Grace return to Maryland on Christmas vacation after being in college for five months.  
  
Fluff O-Meter: Pretty high.  
  
Dedication: Minnesota, because I confused Minnesota with Montana in my last story, so I must apologize.   
  
Author's Notes: *sighs* Riskia is such an unreliable little muse. She keeps running off! This time she wasn't fishing with Jack, she sent me a post card from California saying she was hunting Chris Marquette down. I keep telling her he has security, but every time I tell her this she steals my shoes, throws ice cubes at me and throws my box set DVDs out the window. Evil muse. Starts out dull, but it will hopefully get better as I write more.   
  
1. Home  
  
"Girardi! Hurry up in there will you?!" Grace called from the other side of the bathroom door.  
  
"Hang on Grace!" Joan called back.  
  
"Girardi, I need my toothbrush!" Grace yelled. The door opened a crack and Joan shoved Grace's toothbrush out of the room. Grace grabbed it and moved over to her bed, where an open suitcase was laying.  
  
"Girardi, you've been in there for an hour, do you plan on coming out or am I going back alone?" Grace asked, putting her toothbrush in her suitcase and zipping it up.  
  
"What time is it?"  
  
"Almost two." The bathroom door flew open and Joan ran out of it, opened her closet and began pulling out clothing and shoving it in her suitcase.   
  
"I don't believe you waited until ten minutes before we had to leave to pack," Grace said.  
  
"Hey, I've been freaking out all month about this trip Grace! Think about it, we're going home today. For a month. And who's going to be there?"  
  
"Rove."  
  
"Exactly. I haven't spoken to Adam since he went off to college in New York and we wound up here," Joan explained. She pressed down on the top of the suitcase to try and get it to close.   
  
It's been five months. Not that much has changed," Grace said, moving over to Joan's bed and zipping the suitcase up for her.  
  
"Thanks. And not that much has changed has it? Can I remind you of something Grace?! I. Talk. To. God!" Joan yelled, causing people in the hall to stop and look on the open door. Grace put her hand on the door.  
  
"Nothing to see! Keep walking people!" she told them, slamming the door shut, then turned to Joan.  
  
"You had more than one shot to tell him back in high school," Grace told her.   
  
"I know, I just.. I couldn't."  
  
"Let me get this straight. You could tell me you talk to God, but you can't tell your family, much less the dude your in love with?" Joan sat down on her bed.  
  
"Do you think he'd believe me?" Joan asked. Grace sat next to her.  
  
"Of course he would have. The dude's crazy, he'd believe anything. Besides, he loves you."  
  
"I'm gonna tell him when we get back," Joan told Grace as the two girls stood.   
  
"You do that," Grace said, picking up her suitcase.  
  
"I'm going to," Joan responded, picking up her own suitcase.  
  
"Good. Now come on, we've got to get to the airport before we miss our flight." 


	2. Reunion

Authors Note: I'm such an idiot! I uploaded this under another story! *smacks head* There is no chapter 2 of Talking, that's a stand alone, -this- story has this chapter..  
  
2. Reunion  
  
"Adam?" Adam turned around when he heard his name, to see Helen walking down the street towards the coffee shop he was standing in front of.  
  
"Hey Mrs. G."  
  
"Adam, I've told you before, you can call me Helen. So, home for the holidays?"  
  
"Yeah. I've got a month off."  
  
"The girls are coming home tonight, you should come over," Helen suggested.  
  
"Mrs. G-" Adam started.  
  
"I know you and Joan had a bit of a fall-out before you went off to college, but that's all the more reason you should come over." Adam sighed.  
  
"Alright Mrs. G," he told her.  
  
"Come over around seven then. It was nice seeing you again Adam."  
  
*  
  
"Luke, get the door," Helen called into the living room. Luke looked at the living room door as the bell rang again. He sighed and took the chem book he was reading off his lap and made his way across the living room and pulled open the door as a pair of arms wrapped around him.  
  
"Um.." he started.  
  
"It's me geek," Joan said into her brother's shoulder.  
  
"Oh, hey Joan," he said, hugging her back briefly. The two broke apart and Joan picked up her suitcase and made her way into the house as Grace ran up the steps behind her.  
  
"You'd think there was a party going on or something, I had to park down the block," she said.  
  
"Everyone's home for the holidays. Come on, get in here before we have a frozen Grace statue in our yard," Joan joked. Grace entered the house and began heading for the coat rack when she and Luke spotted each other.  
  
"Hey.." he said.   
  
"Hey nerd.." Catching onto the tension between the two, Joan clapped her hands together.   
  
"All right, where's mom, dad and Kev?" Joan asked Luke as Helen walked into the living room and pulled Joan into a hug. "Uh, hey mom."  
  
"Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes," Helen told them. "Your father's still at work, but he should be home soon, and Kevin's out of town with Rebecca, he'll be back next week," Helen explained. "Oh, and guess who I ran into today."  
  
"Am I actually supposed to guess?" Joan asked.  
  
"Adam," Helen told her. Grace raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Rove huh?" she asked. Helen nodded.  
  
"I invited him over for dinner. It's been so long since the three of you saw each other," Helen said.  
  
"Mom, we still see each other," Joan protested.  
  
"Joan, I know for a fact you and Adam haven't spoken since that fight back in August.."   
  
"Yeah, mom, there's a reason for that," Joan snapped. "Grace, I need to talk to you upstairs."  
  
*  
  
Joan closed her bed room door and leaned against it.  
  
"What am I going to do Grace? My mother invited Adam over for dinner. He'll be here soon. Grace!" Joan said, slamming her head into the back of her door repeatedly.   
  
"Girardi! Calm down!" Grace grabbed Joan's arm and pulled her away from the door and pushed her onto her bed. "Pull yourself together, you're freaking me out. It's Rove, it's not that big of a deal."  
  
"Not that big of a deal? Grace, I've explained this to you, it is a big deal. It's a very big deal. Adam Rove is going to be in my house in," she checked her watch,"five minutes. What am I going to say to him?"  
  
"We went over this back at the apartment Girardi. You said you were going to tell him."  
  
"Right. Okay. I can do this. Ready?"  
  
"Why would you ask me if I was ready?" Grace questioned.  
  
"Oh come on. I felt the tension between you and my brother. It was so thick you could cut it with a knife."  
  
"Shut it Girardi," Grace said as the doorbell rang. The two girls looked at each other and made their way downstairs. The doorbell rang again and Joan opened the door.  
  
"Adam.." she said when she saw him. He looked the same he had five months ago. Same brown eyes, same brown hair, same beanie, same hoodie.  
  
"Jane.." 


	3. Dinner

3. Dinner  
  
"Uh, come in," Joan said, stepping aside.   
  
"Hey Rove."  
  
"Hey Grace." Helen entered the living room.  
  
"Adam, you're here," she started as the door opened again and Will walked in. "Now we can eat," she added.   
  
"I think there's a snow storm coming," Will said, taking off his coat.  
  
*  
  
"So Joan, how's college?" Helen asked.   
  
"It's pretty good. Aside from the term papers, of course."  
  
"That's good, getting to all of your classes on time I hope?" Joan nodded.  
  
"Haven't been late for a class yet," she told her mother. Grace shot her a look across the table.  
  
"Really? I seem to remember otherwise.." she said to Joan with a smirk.  
  
"Okay, only once, but that wasn't my fault, was it?" Joan asked Grace.   
  
"Well, it was your idea to go, not mine," Grace countered.  
  
"Is this one of those college moments that parents should never hear about?" Will asked Joan.  
  
"Yeah, it is," Joan told her father.   
  
"So Luke, how was your last day before break?" Helen asked. Joan turned to her brother.  
  
"Without all the nerd talk, please," she said.  
  
"I heard from MIT today," he said.  
  
"Really?" Helen asked. Luke nodded. "Why did you wait until dinner to tell us?"  
  
"Because Joan and dad are here, I would have waited for Kevin to get back, but that's not for another week so.."  
  
"Well dog boy? You get in?" Joan asked. Luke stood up and walked over to where the microwave was and pulled a slip of paper out from behind it. He walked back to the table and sat, handing it to his mother. "Early acceptance," he said.  
  
"Dude that's awsome!" Joan told her brother. Helen read the letter, then passed it to Will. As the four Girardi's launched into a conversation about financial aid, scholarships, and MIT, Adam and Grace turned to each other and started their own conversation.  
  
"So how's life in the city Rove?"  
  
"Not that bad, yo. Made a few sales. What about you? How's Maine?"  
  
"Not awful. Living with Girardi's an adventure, but the school its self isn't that bad."  
  
"Throw any protests?" Grace laughed a little.  
  
"Not yet, but it's only five months. Give it some time. Just because I'm in college doesn't mean I'm going to stop being me."  
  
"Unchallenged."  
  
*  
  
"Woah, look at it come down," Joan said as she and Luke finished doing the dishes.  
  
"I can't even see the porch," Luke responded.  
  
"It's really coming down isn't it?" Helen asked, putting away a bowl.  
  
"Yeah, can't even see a few inches in front of you," Joan told her.  
  
"Adam and Grace should stay here until it clears up. You can't see anything," Helen said, moving over to the window.  
  
"I can drive home Mrs. G," Adam told Helen. "I only live a few blocks away."  
  
"Yeah, same here," Grace added.  
  
"You can't see outside, there's more than enough room here for both of you." Joan dryed off her hands and turned around.  
  
"Just say yes guys, she wont drop it until you do."  
  
"She's right," Luke told them.   
  
"Alright," the two responded at the same time. 


	4. Power Outage

Authors Note: The sucky movie mentioned in this chapter is Identity. If you want to see it and you haven't, the ending is spoiled. And the ending, it truly -sucked-.   
  
And as of 2:11pm today I am officially on Spring Break!! Yay!!!! That means more chapters, and quicker postings, cuz I wont be in school.  
  
4. Power Outtage  
  
"Oh come on! She is so the killer!" Joan yelled at the TV. It was three hours later and she, Grace, Adam and Luke were crammed on the Girardi couch watching ever horror movie they could dig up.  
  
"She's not the killer," Grace told Joan.  
  
"That's not fair, you've seen it before."  
  
"I have. And the ending sucked."  
  
"Well, there's only a few more minutes until it's over, could you not say anything about the end until then?"  
  
"Fine." A few minutes later, the movie ended.   
  
"Oh my God! That ending sucked!" Joan yelled at the TV.  
  
"He was schitzophrenic? That just destroys the whole plot of the movie," Luke complained.  
  
"I told you the endng sucked."  
  
"What's next on the list of-" Adam started as the TV turned off and the room went dark.   
  
"The power's out," Joan said.   
  
"I think we could have figured that one out Girardi."  
  
"It's only nine thirty.What are we supposed to do for the rest of the night?" Joan asked. Grace looked at her and even in the dark Joan could tell what the look on her face was saying.  
  
"Uh, Adam?" she asked.   
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Can I.. Talk to you? Alone?"   
  
"Uh, sure.." the two stood up and headed upstairs to Joan's room. Luke turned to Grace.  
  
"Any idea what that's about?" he asked.  
  
"Why would I have an idea about what they were talking about?" Grace asked innocently.  
  
"You've only been my sister's best friend for four years and living with her for five months," Luke told her.  
  
"That still doesn't mean I know anything," Grace countered.  
  
"You know something. I'm going up there," Luke said, getting off the couch. Grace jumped up and chased after him.  
  
"No you're not!"  
  
*  
  
"Adam, what happened to us?" Joan asked once the two were in her room.  
  
"That guy," Adam told her. Joan winced.   
  
"There was nothing going on between us," Joan told him.  
  
"Then why.. Why couldn't you tell me who he was Jane?"  
  
"Because I couldn't. Why didn't you trust me?"   
  
"I did Jane. But what was I supposed to think? We dated for three years and at least once a week I saw you with this other guy, and you could never just tell me who he was?"  
  
"Adam..I wanted to tell you. I really did, but I just wasn't ready. If it's worth anything, I'm ready now," Joan told him.  
  
"Will that change anything yo?"  
  
"I hope so. I want us to at least be friends again," Joan told him, giving him a pleading look.  
  
"Alright Jane. Who was he?"  
  
*  
  
"Geek, get back here!" Grace called as she flew up the last few steps. She turned the corner and saw Luke camped outside Joan's door with his ear pressed to the door.  
  
"Shh, Grace, it's getting good."   
  
"Since when do you easedrop?"  
  
"I'm a seventeen year old Grace," Luke told her.  
  
"Good point. But I can't let you hear this," Grace said, grabbing Luke and pulling him up.  
  
"Grace! What's the big-" Luke started. Grace put her hand over his mouth, took his arm and dragged him down the hall.  
  
*  
  
"Okay, Adam, what I'm about to tell you you can't tell anyone. The only other person that knows is Grace."   
  
"Okay Jane, I wont tell anyone," Adam promised.  
  
"Alright. Um Adam, the thing is, that guy? He's.. I.. I talk to God," she told him 


	5. Restless Nights

Authors Note: I wasn't gonna put this up for awhile but baby monkey conned me into it *shakes fist* lol  
  
5. Restless Nights  
  
"Dude, why did you do that?" Luke asked as Grace pushed him into his room.  
  
"I told you, I couldn't let you hear it."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I'd deny it under torture, but I like your sister, and at times I respect her. She'll tell you when she wants you to know. Don't bug her about it," Grace told him.  
  
"But-" Grace shot him a death glare and he became silent.  
  
*  
  
"God? Like, God God?" Adam asked. Joan shrugged and avoided looking at him.  
  
"Yeah, God."  
  
"How long?"   
  
"Since I moved to Arcadia.."  
  
"So that's why you did all of that stuff?" Adam asked.  
  
"Yeah. So, um, you believe me?"  
  
"Of course I believe you, yo," Adam told her.   
  
"Adam, I've been completely honest," Joan started, "and I've really missed you these past few months. So.. Can we just.. be friends again?"   
  
"Friends?" Joan nodded slightly.  
  
"Jane, we'll always be friends," Adam told her. Joan pulled Adam into a hug.  
  
"Promise?" she asked, speaking into his shoulder.  
  
"Unchallenged."  
  
*  
  
"Stop choosing scissors," Grace told Luke.  
  
"You stop choosing scissors," Luke responded as Adam and Joan made their way into the living room. It was pitch black aside from a small candle sitting lit on the table. Grace and Luke were sitting on the couch facing each other playing a rousing round of Rock Paper Scissors.   
  
"Should I even ask?" Joan said, taking a seat next to her brother on the couch.  
  
"No," Grace and Luke responded, going into another round.  
  
"I told you to stop choosing scissors geek!"  
  
"Where'd mom and dad go?" Joan asked Luke.  
  
"They went up to their room. It's best to leave it at that. Took the scrabble board and some scented candles with them though," Luke reported. Joan threw her hands over her ears.  
  
"Ack! Over sharing!" Grace snickered.  
  
"The advantage of having divorced parents." Joan held her watch close to the candle.  
  
"Woah, already ten," she said, shivering a bit. Adam noticed and sat on the arm of the couch, placing an arm around her shoulder.  
  
"Aw. How sweet. Rove and Girardi, together again," Grace said. "Stop choosing scissors geek!" she added as she and Luke once again both produced 'scissors'.  
  
"Okay, we aren't together-together, we're just friends again, right Adam?" Adam nodded. "And you shouldn't be talking."  
  
"I'm just going to let that comment slide," Grace told her.  
  
*  
  
.Four hours later.  
  
Joan yawned and glanced around her living room. Adam had fallen asleep spread out on the couch a half hour ago, Grace had stolen his hoodie after he had, and was now asleep on the floor behind the couch wearing it, and Luke was propped up against the back of the couch, near Grace's head, also sleeping. Joan was leaning against the side of the couch near Adam's head.  
  
"I've never been so tired in my life," she muttered.  
  
"Then go to sleep," a muffled voice told her. She turned to look at the back of the couch and saw that her brother was now awake.  
  
"I can't. I'm a terrible insomniac," Joan told him. He looked at his sister.  
  
"Since when?"   
  
"Since I started at college."  
  
"Oh. You know it's one in the morning, right?"  
  
"Yeah Luke, I'm not that stupid."  
  
"I was just-"  
  
"I know."  
  
"Hey Joan? I know it's none of my business, but what did you tell Adam earlier?"  
  
"Luke, it isn't any of your business, but I'll tell you. Some day. I promise."  
  
"Okay." There was silence for a few minutes. "Joan?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'm going back to bed. 'Night."  
  
"Good night Luke." 


	6. Snowball Fights

Authors Note: Sorry yo, this is the last chapter I have up my sleeve. I'm planning writting all day today (Taking a break for JoA and Stargate) and hopefully I'll have a fresh batch of chapters for your enjoyment tomorrow.   
  
6. Snowball Fights  
  
Joan yawned and stretched out her arms, hitting someone. She brought her arms down and turned to see Adam, sitting on the couch looking down at her.  
  
"Morning," he said. She smiled.  
  
"Morning. Don't have your hoodie back yet?" Joan asked.  
  
"Cha. I was going to get it after I woke up, but they just looked so.. cute," Adam said, earning a confused look from Joan. He pointed to the back of the couch. Joan looked to the back, where Grace was still in the same position, but Luke was laying down and the two were cuddled together. Joan snickered.  
  
"I see what you mean." She stood up and made her way over to the window, pulling the curtains back. Adam got off the couch and joined her at the window.  
  
"Dude."  
  
"Yeah. Hey Adam?" Joan asked.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"What's your position on attacking my brother and Grace with snowballs?" Adam grinned.  
  
*  
  
Something cold and wet hit Grace's head, waking her up. It was followed by another. She felt someone shift next to her. By the time the third cold wet thing hit Grace's head, she opened her eyes, seeing Adam and Joan standing above herself and Luke, throwing snowballs at the two.   
  
"Guys, stop. It's too early," Luke complained.  
  
"Stop being such a girl," Joan told him, pelting him with another snowball. She then turned to Grace and threw one at her. Grace jumped up.  
  
"You're dead Girardi," she said, grabbing a snowball out of Adam's hands and crushing it on Joan's head.   
  
"Ah!" Joan said, running her snowball-free hand through her hair and brushing the flakes off. Luke laughed at his sister and received another snowball in the face. Adam and Joan then began pelting the two with their remaining snowballs.  
  
"That's it!" Grace yelled, moving over to the door and grabbing her shoes. "This is war!" Moments later, the four were in the Girardi's front yard and World War 3 had just begun. The four were no longer just throwing snowballs, but were also trying to knock each other into snowbanks. Joan hit Grace in the back of the head with a snowball, and ran over behind Adam, using him as a shield. Instead of picking up another snowball and running after Joan, Grace took a few steps back, then broke into a run and slammed into Adam, knocking him over on Joan. The two hit the snowbank, and under the weight of Adam, Joan sunk into it.  
  
"Cold. Very cold. Very wet!" Joan exclaimed. Adam attempted to push himself up off of Joan, but ended up sinking further into the snow. "Adam, can you, uh, get off me?" Joan asked.  
  
"I was trying to yo.. but now.. I think I'm kinda stuck.." he said, trying to move his hands out of the snowbank with no luck. Grace and Luke laughed at the two.  
  
"You guys want to help us up?" Joan called.  
  
"What do you think Grace?" Luke asked. Grace pretended to think about it for a moment.  
  
"No. Let's leave them there. See what happens," she told him. Luke nodded.  
  
"Sounds like a plan. Up for a re-match of Rock Paper Scissors?"  
  
"Sure," Grace said as the two made their way into the house, leaving Adam and Joan stuck in the snowbank.  
  
"Luke? Grace? Come on guys! This isn't funny!!" Joan called after the two. 


	7. An Unwelcome Vistor

Authors Note: Dun Dun Dun! Another chapter, another cliffie. Bwahaha!   
  
7. An Unwelcome Visitor  
  
"Luke, Grace? Where are Joan and Adam?" Helen asked, coming down stairs a half hour later. The two looked at each other and began cracking up. "I don't like the sound of that." Luke pointed to the window.  
  
"What are those two doing?" Luke and Grace got up and made their way to the window.   
  
"I think Rove's trying to eat his weight in snow.." Grace said, seeing Adam leaning down by where his right arm had sunken into the snow, picking up a mouthful of snow and moving it to the other side. It was hard to tell from the window, but it appeared that Joan was laughing at the process.  
  
"Did either of you have anything to do with this?" Helen asked suspiciously.  
  
"They started it," Luke told his mother.  
  
"Go help them out, before Adam eats some yellow snow and hurts himself." The statement caused the two to start laughing again.  
  
*  
  
"I'll get Rove, you get your sister," Grace told Luke.   
  
"Hey, did you guys finally come to help us out?" Joan asked, hearing their voices.  
  
"Yeah. Mom made us."  
  
"It's only been a half hour. We're freezing to death and my clothing is soaked through."  
  
"Stop being such a baby. You'll be out in a second," Grace told Joan. She leaned over Adam, placing a hand on each of his arms and pulling his hands out of the snow.  
  
"You're free to go Rove," Grace told him. Luke held out a hand to his sister. She grabbed it and pulled him down into the snowbank, then stood up herself.   
  
"Hey! I wasn't the one that pushed you into the snowbank!" Luke told her.  
  
"No, your just the one that left us out here for a half hour," Joan said, pushing Grace down into the snowbank.  
  
"Do you really want to start another snowball fight?" Grace asked, getting back up.   
  
"All I want is to go inside, put on some dry clothing and eat something."  
  
"Sounds good, yo," Adam said as they made their way into the house.  
  
*  
  
"The power's still out. All of our food is probably spoiled, and we couldn't cook anyway. If you want to eat, you'll have to go out," Helen reported as Joan and Luke came down from taking showers and changing into dry clothing. Joan grabbed her wallet off the living room table.  
  
"You guys want to swing by your houses on the way?" Joan asked. Adam and Grace looked down at their drenched clothing.  
  
"Yeah," they both said.   
  
*  
  
"Ah, Starbucks! I've missed this place," Joan said, stepping into Starbucks. "And no coffee for you Luke. The last time you had it you remember what happened."  
  
"I told Friedman you were pregnat with Adam's baby," Luke said, recalling the moment.  
  
"What?" Adam asked.  
  
"Nevermind."  
  
"I'll go put in our orders, you guys get us a table," Joan said. She re-appeared moments later with three coffees, four muffins and took a seat between Grace and Adam. The four launched into a conversation about whatever came up, including Joan's brush with Lyme Disease back in tenth grade.  
  
"It wasn't funny guys! I was in the hospital! I was delusional!" Joan said.  
  
"Clearly. The doctor said you were talking to some people about how you never liked any of them, and espically one person, but there was no one else in the room."  
  
"What are you talking about?! There was someone in there! I was talking to G-" Joan started, then cut herself off. "Genivive!"   
  
"Who?" Luke asked.  
  
"Exchange student back in highschool. From -up north-."  
  
"Like Canada?" Joan looked at Adam and Grace.  
  
"Yeah Luke, like Canada." Luke was cut off from asking anymore questions about 'Genivive' when a tall brown haired guy approched the table. He looked at Joan.  
  
"Hey Joan, what's up?" he asked. Grace turned her head, hearing him voice.  
  
"Hey Dan."  
  
"Hey Grace."  
  
"Uh, hey. I'll be right back guys," Grace said, getting up. The three managed to hear her ask Dan what he was doing at Starbucks before they were out of earshot. Luke looked at his sister.  
  
"Who's that?"  
  
"Um.. That was Dan.." Joan said, avoiding her brother's eyes.  
  
"I got that, but who -is- he?"  
  
"He's, uh.. Grace's boyfriend.." 


	8. Conversations With Rove

Authors Note: I wrote a wicked angst-y chapter the other night, if I do put it in it will be 11 or 12, but would you guys wanna read a really ansgt-y song fic chapter, or do you want me to leave it on the cutting room floor? Lemme know.  
  
I also may or may not be able to update as much as I thought I could. Something about meetings and tongue rings..  
  
8. A Conversation With Rove  
  
Luke's face fell.   
  
"Her.. boyfriend?"  
  
"Sorry Luke. I know you still like her. And she still likes you, but there's that whole moving on thing.. I mean, you two broke up..."  
  
"Yeah, I.. I get it." Moments later, Dan walked past the table and out the door, Grace following, but stopping at the table for a moment. She picked up her coat.  
  
"I've got to.. later guys.." she muttered, leaving.  
  
"Should I follow her?" Joan asked.  
  
"No, I know where she's going. Seen that look before. It's a place, near the edge of town. We use to go there when we were younger," Adam explained. "I'm gonna go talk to her, yo." Joan and Luke nodded. Adam grabbed his own coat and left Starbucks.  
  
"So Joan, are you and Adam.. together?" Luke asked once Adam left. Joan shook her head.  
  
"I already told you, no. We're just friends." Luke raised an eyebrow.  
  
"You want to be more than friends though, don't you?"  
  
"I've wanted to be with Adam since the first time I talked," Joan told him.  
  
"Well, it hasn't changed has it?"  
  
"Everything changes dog boy."  
  
*  
  
Adam was out of breath by the time he reached his destination. Of course most people would be out of breath after walking three miles. He climbed over a metal chain fence surrounding an old playground, empty aside from himself and a figure sitting on a swing underneath a tree. He walked over to the swing and put his hands on the chains, pulling it back a bit, then letting it go.  
  
"Rove."  
  
"Yo," Adam responded as he continued pushing Grace on the swing.  
  
"How did you find me?"  
  
"What do you think Grace?"  
  
"Right. Dumb question." Silence. "Why do we always end up here whenever something gets screwed up?" Adam shrugged.  
  
"Habit? So, you and that dude..?"  
  
"I dumped him. I thought I'd be easy to just come back here and have everything just be.. normal. I'm not a fan of change, you know?"  
  
"Unchallenged."  
  
"You know Rove, it's like we switched minds or something. It's obvious how you and Girardi feel about each other, how do you guys deal with that?"  
  
"Cha, you were right about switching minds. I don't know how we deal with it, we just do. Besides, your Grace, you can hid how you feel about people better than anyone yo."  
  
"Sometimes being emotionally damaged pays off," Grace told him, half joking. "Did you walk here?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"If we want to get back at a decent time, we should leave now." Adam stopped the swing and Grace got off. 


	9. A Thunderstorm and a Kiss

Authors Note: You wanted Adam and Joan? You got it.   
  
9. A Thunder Storm and A Kiss  
  
"Hey Adam," a voice called from the front door of his shed. He turned to see Joan standing in the doorway.  
  
"Hey Jane." Joan entered the dark shed, lit only by a small camping lantern sitting on a shelf over head.   
  
"Should you really be working while the power's out? You could hurt yourself," Joan told him.  
  
"I'll be fine Jane," Adam told her. Joan watched him work for a few minutes until a crash of thunder made her jump a few feet in the air, and made Adam cry out in pain.  
  
"Dude!" It took Joan a few moments to regester what had caused Adam's outburst, then she noticed a pool of blood forming on the work bench.  
  
"Oh my God! Adam, what happened?!" Joan asked, taking his hand in hers and looking at the long jagged gash running along the palm of his hand.  
  
"The thunder suprised me and the wire slipped," he told her, jestering to the thick wire he had been working with moments earlier. "I'm fine yo."  
  
"Adam! You could get an infection!" Joan told him, taking off her jacket and wrapping the sleeve around his cut to stop the bleeding.  
  
"Jane, I'm fine," Adam tried again.  
  
"I'm taking you to the hospital, it's really deep, you might need stiches." Joan stood and pulled Adam up with her, then dragged him out of the shed and to his car. "You really shouldn't leave the doors unlocked and the keys in the ignition Adam, but in this case I'm glad you did."   
  
*  
  
"It's not infected, but it will scar. He'll need stiches," the doctor told Joan. She shot Adam an 'I told you' look. "You may want to leave while we stich him up, it's not a pretty process," the doctor told Joan.  
  
"I'll go call your father," Joan told Adam. He nodded.   
  
A few minutes later the crash of thunder had turned into a full on storm. Joan re-entered Adam's hospital room.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Hey," Adam responded. Joan took a seat on the edge of his bed.  
  
"You okay?"  
  
"Cha, Jane, it's just a little cut."  
  
"Adam, it was not just a little cut! You had 20 stiches!"  
  
"It's not that many.." Adam responded.  
  
"God, why are all men so stubborn?" Joan muttered, then increasing her volume so Adam could hear added "It was 20 stiches Adam. You sounded like someone had shot you! I was scared!"  
  
"Sorry Jane. I didn't mean to scare you," he told her, looking up at Joan.  
  
"Could you just be more careful? Like wear gloves?" Joan asked. "Please?"  
  
"Fine, I'll wear gloves," Adam told her.  
  
"Good," Joan said as she realized her face was a lot closer to Adam's than it had been when she had first sat. 'Ah, what the heck' Joan though as she closed the space between herself and Adam. The kiss lasted only a few moments, due to the door opening.  
  
"Adam Joan called and- I'll leave you two alone," Carl Rove said, backing out of the room as Joan and Adam pulled apart.  
  
"Uh, hey Mr. Rove. I was just.. leaving.. I'll.. I'll see you later Adam..." Joan said, standing up and making a quick get away. The guys watched her head down the hall, and Carl turned to his son.  
  
"I see you two made up," he said with a raised eyebrow. Adam just glared at his father. 


	10. Pictures

Authors Note: This chapter takes place at the same time the one before it does. Oh, and read the last chapter of Summer if you want to get the pun about the dress. Heh, the infamous purple dress..  
  
10. Pictures  
  
Grace Polk was cold. No, scrach that, Grace Polk was freezing. But then again, she was laying in the middle of her front yard, which was covered with about seven inches of snow, and more was falling on her at that very moment. Despite all of this, she continued to lay in her front yard in only jeans and a t-shirt, looking up at the sky. She let out a deep sigh as the snow began to fall faster and heavier.   
  
"Grace, you should come in before you freeze to death," Rabbi Polonski called from the front door.  
  
"I'm fine dad, I'm not cold. I'll come in when I come in!" Rabbi Polonski nodded and walked back into the house. Grace grabbed a small pile of snow from her side and rolled it into a snowball, then threw it in the direction of the road. She heard it hit something and her eyes narrowed in confusion. It hadn't been a car...  
  
"You like pelting people with snow don't you?" Grace rolled onto her side to see Luke approching her.  
  
"What do you want geek?" Luke sat in the snow next to where Grace was laying.  
  
"I'm not sure." Grace sat up.  
  
"Then why are you here?" she asked.  
  
"I'm not sure," Luke said again. The two sat in silence for awhile, just looking straight ahead. After ten or so minutes had past, a crash of thunder broke the silence.  
  
"Sounds like a storm," Grace said, still focused straight ahead.  
  
"Yup," Luke agreed. More silence, followed by a bolt of lightning. The two shot up.  
  
"Maybe we should go inside," Grace told him.  
  
"Yeah.." Grace headed for her house, while Luke remained standing. She stopped at the porch and turned to him. "You coming?"  
  
"Are you inviting me into your house?" Grace shrugged.  
  
"It's better than scraping fried nerd off the front lawn." Despite himself, Luke smiled at the remark.  
  
*  
  
"She finally comes in," Rabbi Polonski said as Grace entered the house, followed by Luke.   
  
"Yeah, whatever," Grace said, walking upstairs. Rabbi Polonski and Luke exchanged a look.  
  
"Should I.." Luke started.  
  
"With Grace, I'm not always sure. Feel free to follow her if you'd like though." Luke nodded and walked up the stairs. He looked around at the doors, attempting to guess which led to Grace's room, when he saw a sign reading 'GO AWAY!' taped to a door at the end of the hall.  
  
"Of course," he said to himself. He knocked on the door.  
  
"It's open," Grace called. Luke opened the door and saw Grace sitting on her desk, her back against the wall, looking out the window. Luke entered the room and took a look around. It was huge, clean and covered in pictures. Nothing like what Luke thought it would look like. He picked up a picture frame sitting on Grace's dresser and smirked.  
  
"Is that -you-?" he asked.   
  
"If you know what's good for you you'll forget you ever saw that."  
  
"If that's you, then is that Adam?"  
  
"Put the picture down geek," Grace warned again.  
  
"You know, I think my sister had a dress just like that.." Luke pressed on. Grace jumped off of the desk and snached the picture away from Luke.  
  
"My father made me keep it. You tell -anyone- about this picture and I will be-head you. Espically if you mention that hideous purple dress."  
  
"You're secert's safe with me," Luke told her, looking at another picture. It had been taken on the last day of school that previous year. Joan and Adam had their arms around each other and were grinning like fools, Grace was sitting on the wall outside the school next to him and Luke had his arm around her. Joan's friend, Alice, from band had taken it.   
  
"You still have this?" Luke asked.   
  
"Yeah.."  
  
"I thought you'd get rid of it after.. you know."  
  
"Yeah, well I was going to, but it's a good picture of the four of us." Luke moved over to her bookself where he spotted another picture he thought she would have gotten rid of.  
  
"Then why do you still have this?" Luke asked, holding the picture up. She sighed when she saw it was their prom picture he was holding up. It had taken a lot of conning, and about seven months, but Luke had convinced her to go. 'How am I going to talk my way out of this one?'  
  
"Maybe I still concider us friends," she told him. "Now can you stop looking at all my pictures?"  
  
"Yeah, sure.." The two took a seat on her bed in silence and listened to the storm outside. 


	11. Alone

Authors Note: WARNING: this chapter contains -serious- teen angst. So much it could be in a soap opera.   
  
11. Alone  
  
It had warmed up a little the next day. Not completely warm, but warm enough for the snow to turn into rain. And it had been raining all day, and into the night. And in the Girardi house, the two Girardi children who were home at the time, were having emotional breakdowns. Well, not breakdowns so much as freaking out. They sat in the dark, the power still being out, living room, starting at the TV.   
  
"I kissed Adam," Joan said, not taking her eyes off of the blank TV.  
  
"Is that bad?" Luke asked.  
  
"No. Yes. I don't know. Maybe?"  
  
"Did it feel like it was bad?"  
  
"No. It felt.. Perfect."  
  
"Then what's the problem?"  
  
"I can't be with Adam, Luke! Been there, done that, screwed that up!"  
  
"Why don't you just try it again?"  
  
"Because I can't Luke! If we get back together, we'll break up again, and I don't think I can stand that again."  
  
"There's no proof that you'll break up again."  
  
"So what, we'll get back together, get married, have 2.5 kids and a mini van?"  
  
"No. I'm just saying you have no way of knowing if you two will break up again."  
  
"We're pathetic aren't we?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Hey, if I talk to Adam, will you talk to Grace?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"She broke up with her boyfriend, and those two were pretty serious about each other. There had to be a reason, and I think that reason has blond hair and nerdy glasses."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Well geek, do we have a deal? I talk to Adam, you talk to Grace?" Luke sighed.  
  
"Fine."  
  
*  
  
"Uhm, hi Rabbi Polonski.. is Grace here?" Luke asked.  
  
"Yes, she's up in her room, but I should warn you she's in a mood.."   
  
"Isn't she always?"  
  
"Yes, but not that kind of a mood Luke. It's more of the.. depressed kind of mood as opposed to the angry, rude, morose, cynical Grace we all know. But you can still go up." Luke nodded and headed upstairs. He stopped outside of Grace's room and knocked on the door. No answer. He knocked again, and was met with Grace telling him to go away, then calling him every name in the book, not only in English, but in Hebrew as well.  
  
"Well.. sounds like the same Grace," Luke said to himself, opening the door. Her TV was on some trash TV talk show, loud music was blaring, the shades were down, the lights were off, and Grace was laying on her bed looking up at the ceiling.   
  
"Hey.."  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"I want to talk."   
  
"Well I want to be left alone."  
  
"But-"  
  
"What part of 'I want to be left alone' did you not get?"  
  
"Grace-"  
  
"Go!" Taking one last look at Grace, Luke walked out of her room, closing the door behind him.  
  
*  
  
"Hey Adam, how's your hand?"  
  
"It's better. Kinda stings though," Adam said, watching Joan enter his shed.  
  
"I don't believe it. You sliced open your hand last night, and now your back in here, working on the same piece by lantern again."  
  
"Power's still out yo. And it's not the same piece of wire. That one had too much blood on it. And I'm wearing gloves," Adam told her, holding his hands up for her to see.  
  
"That's good. But, uhm, Adam? About that kiss.." Joan started. Adam stopped what he was doing and looked at her. "Could we just.. uhm... forget about it?" Adam's face fell, and he felt like that piece of wire had just been jammed into his heart. "It's just, we just became friends again, and I don't want to ruin that." Adam nodded.  
  
"Yeah, uhm, yeah. Okay. It's.. forgotten.."  
  
"Okay.. So, uhm, I should get going.. I mean, it's getting late and all.."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, so.. I'll see you later?"  
  
"Later.. right..yeah.. later.." Joan said, making her way out of the shed. 


	12. Why

Authors Note: That last chapter was nothing compared to this one. Oh! The teenangst! Song's Why by Mel C. And guys? Don't hurt me. It gets better! I promise!  
  
12. Why  
  
/Why does the rain fall from the sky?  
  
How can a sugar pill take this pain away?  
  
I should have known that you would break my heart.  
  
You've ended something that didn't have a chance to start./  
  
Adam looked out the window of the shed. He wasn't into the whole brooding-teen-angst-self-pity thing, but somehow he found himself brooding and filled with teen angst. Joan had kissed him yesterday, and today she was just.. forgetting about it. Like it had never happened. Maybe she hadn't wanted it to happen. Maybe it had been the biggest mistake of her life. Maybe she had been kicking herself all night because of it. Maybe..  
  
/Put out the stars. Rub out the sky.  
  
Look to the future. Wipe the teardrop from my eye.  
  
Shut out the sun. Put out the light.  
  
Want you to tell me how you're gonna make it right./  
  
Joan was crying again. She hated crying. But she always seemed to be crying. Why had she walked all the way to Adam's house and told him to just forget the kiss? Make it seem like it was nothing, like it had never happened. She couldn't stand it.   
  
/Why am I crying over you?  
  
Why? 'Cos there's nothing else that I can do.  
  
Why do I always look a fool?  
  
Why?/  
  
"God! I'm acting like Girardi!" Grace yelled at her ceiling, furiously wiping those stupid tears off of her face. She never cried. Crying showed weakness. Crying was a stupid, worthless ritual. She picked up the picture that had been laying next to her bed, the prom picture, and threw it at the door, finding relief in the sound of the glass shattering.  
  
/Wish I'd read the signs and left you well alone.  
  
God, I wanna call you but I can't pick up the phone./  
  
"I'm an idiot," Luke muttered. He had considered calling Grace but had decided against it, not having a death wish. He took a deep breath and fell back on his bed.  
  
/Put out the stars. Rub out the sky.  
  
Look to the future. Wipe the teardrop from my eye.  
  
Shut out the sun. Bring on the night.  
  
Want you to show me how you're gonna make it right.  
  
Why am I crying over you?  
  
Why? 'Cos there's nothing else I can do.  
  
Why do I always look a fool?  
  
Why?  
  
Why am I crying over you?  
  
(Tell me why. Why does the rain fall from the sky?)  
  
Why? 'Cos there's nothing else that I can do.  
  
(Why do the tears fall from my eyes?)  
  
Why do I always look a fool?  
  
(Why does the rain fall from the sky?)  
  
Why? (Oh tell me why)  
  
(Tell me why) 


	13. Couldve Been

Authors Note: Thanks to Allie for suggesting part of the idea in this chapter. I'm also trying out a new song fic type thing in this chapter, let me know if it blows. Song's Could've Been by Mandy Moore  
  
13. Could've Been  
  
"Jump." Grace laughed.  
  
"You jump. I went first last time."  
  
"The last time we did this we were seven, yo," Adam told her. It was the next morning, and with the power still out, Grace had gone over to Adam's to find some entertainment. The two had ended up on top of his roof, only after creating a huge snowpile below.   
  
"We'll jump together."   
  
"Deal." The two counted down from three in their minds, then jumped off the roof and into the huge snowbank below. As they hit they began cracking up and throwing snow at each other.   
  
"When was the last time we did this?" Grace asked Adam. "The two of us, just hanging out, just doing whatever, I mean."  
  
"I don't remember yo. I think it was back before my mom.." Adam said, trailing off.  
  
"Yeah.." Silence. "Hey Rove. I'll race you back to the roof." The two jumped up and ran, as well as you can in seven inches of snow, back to the front of Adam's house.  
  
*  
  
"I'm going to Adam's," Joan announced.  
  
"Are you bi-polar?" Luke asked his sister.  
  
"Funny Luke. I just need to talk to him. The way things turned out the other day... I just need to talk to him.." Joan grabbed her coat and headed out of the house.  
  
*  
  
"Watch out for the-" Adam started. Too late. Grace hit a patch of ice in the drive way and went crashing to the ground. "Ice.." Adam added with a laugh.  
  
"Yeah, because that was just so funny Rove," Grace said, standing up. She took another step, still on the patch of ice, slipping again, and taking Adam down with her.  
  
"Your driveway is deadly Rove."  
  
"Cha," Adam agreed. The two repeated the moving and falling routine a few more times, each time getting a little closer to the end of the ice patch.  
  
"You know something? I'm considering suing you," Grace told Adam as they hit the pavement again.   
  
*  
  
Joan approached Adam's house. She was about to go straight for the shed when she heard laughing coming from the driveway. Walking up it, she saw Adam and Grace laying in the driveway in a very compromising position.  
  
"Dude," Joan said in a very Adam-ish manner.  
  
"Joan?" Adam asked, standing up. He nearly fell back down again, but grabbed onto the side of the house and maneuvered his way off the ice. Joan turned and headed back down the driveway, making the fasted getaway she could.  
  
/The flowers that you gave me  
  
Are just about to die  
  
When I think about what could've been  
  
Makes me want to cry  
  
The sweet words you whispered  
  
Didn't mean a thing  
  
I guess our song is over  
  
As we begin to sing/  
  
Joan didn't stop walking until she reached the park. She sunk down on a bench and pulled her legs up to her chest.  
  
/Could've been so beautiful  
  
Could've been so right  
  
Could've been my lover  
  
Everyday of my life  
  
Could've been so beautiful  
  
Could've been so right  
  
I'll never know what could've been  
  
On a cold and lonely night  
  
The memories of our lovin'  
  
Still linger in the air  
  
Like the faded scent of your roses  
  
Stay with me everywhere  
  
Every time I get my hopes up  
  
They always seem to fall  
  
Still what could've been  
  
Is better than what could never be at all  
  
Could've been so beautiful  
  
Could've been so right  
  
Could've been my lover  
  
Everyday of my life  
  
Could've been so beautiful  
  
Could've been so right  
  
You can't know what could've been  
  
On a cold and lonely night  
  
Could've been so beautiful  
  
Could've been so right  
  
You can't know what could've been  
  
On a cold and lonely night  
  
Ni-ooh-ight  
  
Ni-ooh-ight  
  
How can you know what could've been  
  
On a cold and lonely night/  
  
"Jane.. Joan... Jane?" Adam asked. Joan looked up.  
  
"You sound confused."  
  
"I'm always confused yo," Adam said, sitting next to her. "It's not what your thinking Jane. We fell on the ice. What you're thinking.. that's just.. I'd be like kissing my sister."  
  
"I guess you're right.. I mean.. I just.. I wasn't.." Joan stammered.  
  
"What did you wanna talk about?" Adam asked, saving her.  
  
"I love you Adam," Joan spat out.   
  
"I love you too Jane."  
  
"And.. I want to get back together.." Joan said quietly.   
  
"So do I.." Adam told her, putting a hand on Joan's face and pulling her in for a kiss. 


	14. Bad Day

Authors Notes: Sadly, Spring Break is coming to a close, and there's a small chance I will be able to update at all this coming week, because states are the 23-24, so I'll be at school really late everynight, and in a hotel room all weekend. Wish us luck!  
  
Jane and Adam - 'now you just need to work on mr. luke and grace' You read my mind. ^~  
  
AL - I figured you guys would want a happy ending  
  
Alexandri - lol. I'm glad you're liking my story   
  
Authors Note: I don't know what kind of music Grace listens to, so she can listen to Katy Rose. Cuz who doesn't like Katy? Ooh, and you guys also get to find out what happened between Grace and Luke.   
  
14. Bad Day  
  
The next morning the snow was falling worse than other. Grace walked out of her house and down to her car when she saw someone sitting in the passengers side of her car.  
  
"What are you doing in my car?" Grace asked. Luke un-rolled the window.  
  
"Waiting for you," he told her. "It's a good thing you never lock the doors."  
  
"I have a concert to go to geek. Get out of my car."  
  
"I know you have a concert to go to, why do you think I'm here?"  
  
"Get out of the car," Grace commanded.  
  
"No. I'm staying in this car until we talk."  
  
"We're not talking."  
  
"Then I'm not getting out of the car."  
  
"Then I guess we're going to Baltimore."  
  
*  
  
"Get out of the car," Grace told Luke a hour later.   
  
"We still haven't talked," Luke pointed out.  
  
"I don't want to talk to you. I want to go in there," Grace said, gesturing to the café they were parked in front of, "and listen to Katy Rose. I've been trying to get tickets to see her since I was in tenth grade."  
  
"Then go and watch your concert. I'll still be here."  
  
"I don't want you to be here. I want you to go back to Arcadia."  
  
"Then give me your keys." Grace looked at him like he'd lost it.  
  
"You are not driving my car."  
  
"Then I'll wait here."  
  
"I hate you."  
  
"No you don't." Grace glared at him, then opened the car door and climbed out. Slamming it shut, she leaned down and looked in the window, still glaring, then walked away.  
  
*  
  
"Your back," Luke said as Grace opened the drivers door a few hours later.  
  
"Have you been sitting here the whole time?"   
  
"Yeah."  
  
"You're an idiot."  
  
"No, I'm just determined. Besides, watching the storm was occupying. They declared a state of emergency," Luke told her.  
  
"What?! A state of emergency?! That means.."  
  
"That the city closed down. Yeah."  
  
"God! I don't think today could get any worse," Grace said, pulling out her cell phone to call a motel.  
  
*  
  
"One?!" Grace yelled at the guy behind the desk at the local motel. He nodded.  
  
"Because of the storm we only had one room left. Take it or leave it." Grace sighed.  
  
"I'll take it."   
  
"I need to see your ID. Both of your IDs. We don't rent to people under eighteen," the guy told Grace and Luke. Grace rolled her eyes.  
  
"I'm nineteen, he's eighteen. I know why you people don't rent to people under eighteen. And I can assure you that the geek and I are -not- going to be sleeping together. Clothed or otherwise."   
  
"Sorry miss. Still need to see your IDs." Grace and Luke pulled out their drivers license and handed them to the guy. He nodded and gave them back, then handed Grace a key. "Room 11."  
  
*  
  
"One bed! This is great!" Grace snarrled. She turned and slammed her head against the wall, resting it there.  
  
"Hey, I can sleep on the floor.." Luke told her.  
  
"This is all your fault," Grace told him, storming across the room and falling onto the bed.  
  
"How is this my fault? I don't control the weather," Luke responded, sitting next to her.  
  
"You locked yourself in my car. You came along for the ride. You were in the car when the city got closed down. And now we're in some dumb run down motel with one bed."  
  
"At least now we can talk," Luke joked. Grace smacked him upside the head. "Okay, I don't get you. We were fine for a few days and then you snap and start acting how you acted towards me during the summer."  
  
"Hey, I had every right to act like that. I still do."  
  
"I can't even count the number of times I've told you I was sorry Grace. There aren't any other ways for me to say it," Luke told her.  
  
"Sorry doesn't always cut it geek."  
  
"It was a dumb accident."  
  
"An accident?" Grace asked, turning to him. "An accident?! So what, you two just magically lost your clothing and fell into bed together?! Look, cheating is one thing, but having sex with your ex girlfriend while your current girlfriend is out of town?"  
  
"I know, I know, it was a new low. I'm sorry okay?! I'm an idiot, you hate me, I get it. You made it perfectly clear already."  
  
"I don't hate you. I should, and I don't -like- you. I'm actually containing the urge to shove your head through the wall, but I don't -hate- you."  
  
"You're going to strangle me in my sleep aren't you?" Luke asked seriously. Grace smiled a little.  
  
"The thought has crossed my mind. If you remember, I did almost strangle you once.."  
  
-flashback-  
  
"You wanna crash here tonight?" Joan asked Grace.  
  
"Sure," Grace responded. After a long day of room registration up in Maine, all either of the girls wanted to do was sleep.  
  
"I'm gonna go call Adam," Joan said, running upstairs to her room. Grace rolled her eyes. "You two are so about each other it's scary!" Grace called after Joan.  
  
"No, it's just love!" Joan called back. Grace laughed, then walked upstairs herself. She saw the door to Luke's room was closed. The thought of knocking crossed her mind for a second, but quickly passed. She opened the door and stepped in.  
  
"Hey geek-" she froze. "What the hell?!"  
  
"Grace-" Luke started, sitting up.  
  
"I'm not sure who I should kill first. Actually, you. I am going to strangle you you asshole!" Grace screamed.   
  
"Guys, what's going on?" Joan asked, walking into her brothers room. "Oh. My. God." Grace pointed at Luke.  
  
"You are so dead!!" she yelled, lunging at him. Joan wrapped her arms around Grace's shoulders. "Let me go Girardi!" she snapped. Joan held her tighter and pulled her out of the room.  
  
-end flashback-  
  
"If Joan hadn't of stopped you.." Luke said.  
  
"I would have slaughtered you. And I'm getting tempted to slaughter you again." Luke jumped off the bed. "Look, I want to, but I'm not going to."  
  
"Thank you," Luke said as Grace's cell phone went off. Grace reached into her pocket and pulled it out.  
  
"Ugh. It's the synagogue. Wonder what great dilemma they need the rabbi's daughter to sort out now," Grace said, rolling her eyes and hitting the on button. "What? ..What? Oh my God. Is he-? No! No I am -not- staying here. Am I the kind of person who cares when the city's shut down?! I'm coming back! Look, I don't care if it takes me three hours, I'm coming back!" Grace slammed her phone shut and grabbed her keys.  
  
"We're going back to Arcadia," she told Luke. Luke could have sworn he saw tears welling up in her eyes.  
  
"What happened Grace?"  
  
"My dad.. He had a heart attack.." 


	15. Rekindling

Authors Note: Sorry it took so long! Been wickedly busy lately. If this chapter sucks, I'm sorry!!   
  
Dedication: Hannah, Aline, Bianca, Aleeze, Erica, Amanda, Adam, Ron, Tom, Kathrin, Joe, Corey, James, Josh and Brandon. We are the 2004 SciOly team and we shall kick ass at states on Friday!  
  
Also a special dedication to James's British Accent, and his shoe that Bianca nearly threw out the window.  
  
And on with the show!  
  
15. Rekindling  
  
"I still don't believe they wouldn't let me out," Grace muttered. It was three hours later and she was laying on the motel bed, glaring at the ceiling, with her cellphone next to her. Luke was sitting on the bed by her.  
  
"It's dangerous, you can't see the road," Luke told her.  
  
"You're not making this any better," Grace said as the cellphone went off. Luke picked it up and handed it to her.  
  
"Hello? He is? That's.. that's good news. Okay. If there's any change call me." She hit the off button.  
  
"Well?" Luke asked.  
  
"He's stable, but he's not awake."  
  
"Is that good? Well, it's good that he's stable but.."  
  
"Yeah, that's good, but the not awake thing? Your a nerd, does that mean..?"  
  
"That he's in a coma?" Luke asked. Grace nodded.  
  
"Not necessarly. It just means he hasn't woken up. He might be, it's not uncommon for that to happen after someone has a heart attack, but.. This isn't making you feel any better is it?"  
  
"No, it's really not. I just hope he's okay." Luke took a chance and took Grace's hand.   
  
"He will be."  
  
"You better be right," Grace said.   
  
*  
  
"Ow!" Luke opened his eyes and looked around the pitch black room.  
  
"Huh?" he asked, confused.  
  
"You just put your elbow in my eye," Grace snarrled, sitting up. They both froze and looked at each other. "Were we just asleep? In the same bed?"   
  
"Yeah.."  
  
"Ugh."  
  
"Hey, I already said I'd said I'd sleep on the floor." Grace sighed.   
  
"No," she said like it was hurting her, "It's okay."  
  
*  
  
A loud, annoying beeping went off in Luke's ear. He sat attempted to sit up, but his right side was unusually heavy. Looking over to see what the source of the excess weight was, he saw that Grace had fallen asleep with her head on his chest. He smiled a bit, then glanced around the dark room, trying to find the source of the annoying noise without waking Grace. Not finding it, he attempted to move Grace off of him so he could get a better look around the room. Unfortuantly, he was unsucessful.  
  
"What the.." Grace started. She saw why she had suddenly woken up and rolled her eyes. "Oh. Of course," she said, lifting her head off of Luke. "What the hell is that noise?" Luke shrugged.  
  
"That's what I was trying to figure out." The two got off of the bed and began searching for where the beeping was coming from, when Luke laughed. Grace shot him a glare.  
  
"What's so funny?"  
  
"I'm just an idiot," he said, grabbing his coat off of the floor.  
  
"Yeah, well, I already knew that."  
  
"Thanks. But that beeping's my cell phone." Grace gave him a blank look.  
  
"Who would be calling you at," she checked the digital clock sitting on the bedside table, "2 in the morning?!" Luke checked his cellphone's screen.  
  
"It's Joan." He hit the on button. "Hello? Yeah, you woke me up. I'm in a motel somewhere in Baltimore. Yeah. He is? Okay, I'll put her on." He handed the phone to Grace. "Joan says Adam's there. He wants to talk to you." Grace took the phone from him.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hey Grace. Not doing anything illeagle with my brother are you?"Joan asked.  
  
"Okay, it's not illeagle anymore, and you seem to be forgetting that I would inever/i do anything with you brother. Now put Rove on."  
  
"Okay, okay, here." There was the sound of Joan calling Adam over to the phone.  
  
"Yo."  
  
"Yo yourself. What's up?"  
  
"I stopped by the hospital awhile ago. He's awake and stable." Grace let out a relieved sigh.  
  
"Thank God. Thanks for calling Rove."  
  
"No problem yo." The two hung up and Grace gave Luke his phone back. She moved back over to the bed and sat. Luke followed.  
  
"Not even if I was the last person on Earth?" he asked. She looked at him, confused for a moment, then caught on.  
  
"No."  
  
"So you do hate me?"  
  
"I don't hate you. I should.."  
  
"But you don't?" Luke asked, looking her in the eyes.   
  
"Screw you."  
  
"I'm just asking."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I want to know. It's weird, you know? We're friends one minute, you want to kill me the next and God knows what we are this second."  
  
"You want to know if I hate you?" Grace asked him. He shook his head.  
  
"No. Well yes. Well.. sort of. I just want to know how you feel about me." Grace raised an eyebrow.   
  
"I swear you're making less sence than usual."  
  
"Just answer the question," Luke told her. Before she had a chance to even concider a witty Grace-like comeback, she found herself leaning across the bed, grabbing Luke, and kissing him.   
  
'Shit.' 


	16. Party Plans

Authors Note: Ah! She's back!1 My muse is back!!!! Yes! And we didn't get to Nationals, so no more staying after, which means more writing, and school ends on June 17th so even more writing, and my friends and I changed our study group to friday before JoA, so even more time to write, it's beautiful.  
  
16. Party Plans  
  
The ride back to Arcadia was silent. Grace caught Luke giving her looks and attempting to say something a few times, but he had given up within a half hour. It seemed like forever before Grace turned onto the road which the Girardi's lived on. She pulled into the driveway and stopped the car.   
  
"Get out," she told him.  
  
"Grace.." he started.  
  
"Get out of the car."  
  
"Okay, okay. I'm going," Luke opened the door and stepped out of the car. Grace was about to pull out of the driveway when Joan came running down to her car and practically throwing herself at it. Grace raised an eyebrow and unrolled her window.  
  
"Here," Joan said, shoving a piece of paper at Grace. She then ran back up the driveway and into the house.  
  
'Uhm.. okay..' Grace thought, rolling up her window and driving away.  
  
*  
  
"Hanmas?" Joan asked her mother.  
  
"Chrismukkah," Helen suggested.  
  
"No mom, that's already taken. It's gotta be Hanmas or.. uhm..Christmasmukkah.." Entering the room, Luke looked from his sister to his mother.  
  
"Do I want to know?" he asked.  
  
"Well, mom had an idea to have a Christmas party, and invite Adam and Mr. Rove and Grace and her father if he's feeling up to it, and Rebecca.. except Grace is Jewish so it can't be Christmas," Joan explained.   
  
"Right.." Luke said, walking up to his room at a faster pace than normal.   
  
"Think about what to call it later Joan. Think about the things we need to buy today. It is next week, after all."  
  
"Right, I'm on it," Joan said, going up to her room.   
  
*  
  
"Hey." Grace opened her eyes and looked up, seeing Adam standing above her.  
  
"Rove? What are you doing here? ...And where's here?" Grace asked sleeply.  
  
"Here is the hospital yo. You fell asleep," Adam told her. Grace sat up and looked around the room.  
  
"Oh." The door to the hospital room opened and a girl with long red hair entered. She looked at Grace and Adam.  
  
"Are you related..." she started. Grace cut her off.  
  
"Only by blood. Well, I am, he's not." the girl nodded.  
  
"Okay. I'm Gretchen, I'm a candy striper. I guess I'll come back later.."  
  
"You do that," Grace told her. Adam turned to Grace.  
  
"You should probably go home and get some accual sleep, yo," he told her. Grace raised an eyebrow.  
  
"You think I smell huh?" Adam gave a small smile.  
  
"You smell kind of like Jane did after dumpster diving in highschool."  
  
"Gee, thanks Rove. Call me if you learn anything?"  
  
"Unchallenged." 


	17. Phone Conversations

17. Phone Conversation  
  
"Are you insane? Did God tell you to do this or something?" Grace asked Joan. Joan sat down on the couch and picked up her remote.  
  
"Nope. Just something my mom suggested, so I took the idea and ran with it," Joan told Grace.  
  
"Ah, a patinented Girardi mother-daughter project. Remind me, why am I friends with you?"  
  
"Because without me you'd still be some very angry, lonley person with one friend."  
  
"So I'd be a lot happier huh?" Grace joked.  
  
"Hey!" Joan yelled. The two laughed. "So, are you coming?"   
  
"Yeah. My dad gets out of the hospital tomorrow."  
  
"That's good. Oh! Guess what."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'm gonna be an aunt," Joan reported. "According to Kevin, Rebecca's about two months pregnat. It's a boy."  
  
"And so it begins.." Joan moved the phone to her other hand.  
  
"And so what begins?"  
  
"Kevin and Rebecca are going to have a kid. You and Rove probably aren't far behind."  
  
"Grace, Adam and I have never had sex."  
  
"Ack! Ears! I do not need to know if my two best friends have had WMS or not!"  
  
"WMS?"  
  
"Wild Monkey Sex." There was a pause on the other line when Joan heard Grace yell, "What?! Can't a person say wild monkey sex?! I know this is the maternity ward, it's the only place a phone was opened. And what's the big deal? These people clearly don't have virgin ears!" Joan laughed. "I hate hospital personal," Grace told Joan.  
  
"So, well on the topic of babies.." Joan said, thankful that Grace was over ten miles away. Otherwise she would be hurting Joan right now.  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"Come on Grace, it's a perfectally normal thing.."  
  
"Look Girardi, if I'm ever with someone long enough to even concider children, I am not having them. He can have them." Joan laughed.  
  
"I don't think Luke would want to have children himself."   
  
"Are you deaf or just stupid? Your brother and I are over."  
  
"Sure you are. You two are supposed to be together Grace. Everyone knows that."  
  
"Look Girardi, if I want your opinion, I'll give it to you." The line went dead. 


	18. The Final Chapter

18. The Final Chapter  
  
One week later found Adam, Grace, Rebecca, Mr. Rove and Rabbi Polonski at the Girardi house for the Girardi's Christmasmukkah Party. The adults were all in the kitchen with Kevin and Rebecca, while Adam and Joan sat on the couch, arms around each other, being very whispers-and-giggles.  
  
"Do you two come with a mute?" Grace asked, looking up at the couch from her seat on the floor.   
  
"Come on Grace, you aren't even watching it."  
  
"Sorry if I don't find 'White Christmas' interesting."  
  
"It was either this or 'It's a Wonderful Life'," Luke told Grace. She turned to look at him.  
  
"Well it's not a wonderful life."  
  
"Then deal with 'White Christmas'," Joan said.  
  
"Did I ever tell you I hate you?" Grace asked Joan.  
  
"Oh you know you love me." Adam pulled Joan closer.  
  
"I love you."  
  
"I love you too." And they kissed.  
  
"Ugh. There's so much sap in this room I'm starting to think I'm in a tree," Grace muttered. She got up and walked outside onto the back porch. Luke followed.   
  
"Hey Grace?" Luke asked. Grace turned to face him.  
  
"What?"   
  
"Nothing." Grace turned back around and leaned on the porch railing, looking at the snow covered lawn. Luke leaned next to her. "Remember the last time we did this?"  
  
"Did what?"  
  
"Stood back here looking at the snow." Grace gave a small smile.  
  
"Yeah. Last winter."  
  
"Remember when you, me, Joan and Adam all squeezed into one sled?" She laughed.  
  
"And it crashed into the tree and Joan broke her arm?"  
  
"Yeah. That was priceless," Luke said.  
  
"And then a week later you almost burned down the house?"  
  
"I did not! It's not my fault the microwave doesn't like me!"  
  
"You were trying to microwave a Capri Sun. The packaging is metal. You're a nerd, you should have put two and two together."  
  
"I didn't know the microwave would combust!" the two started laughing.   
  
"You're an idiot."  
  
"I'm sorry Grace, I can't remember. Was that before or after you dropped your keys in the garbage disposal?"  
  
"That was your fault."  
  
"Was not."  
  
"Was so! You scared me!"  
  
"I just walked up behind you," Luke said innocently.  
  
"And bit me!" Luke walked away from the railing and behind Grace. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him, then softly bit her neck.  
  
"Like that?" he whispered.  
  
"Don't do that, you'll give me one of those disgusting hickies." She leaned back against him and he tightened his hold on her.  
  
"Grace?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Can we.."  
  
"Start over?" Grace finished for him.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I want to Luke, I love you, but you have to understand that I still don't fully trust you," Grace told him. He put his chin on her shoulder.  
  
"I love you too, and I understand that you don't fully trust me, I deserve that." Grace turned to face him, then wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.  
  
"Say it with me Adam, aww," A voice said from behind them. They broke the kiss and turned to see Joan and Adam standing on the porch.   
  
"Funny Girardi," Grace said. Joan smiled.  
  
"I think it's cute. Grace Girardi does have a good ring to it. And hey! Then we could be sisters!" Grace pointed at Joan.  
  
"You're dead!" she grabbed a pile of snow off the porch and rolled it into a ball, then threw it at Joan. The next thing any of them knew, yet another snowball fight had begun. After the fight had gone on for nearly a half hour, the four collapsed in the snow, laughing hysterically.  
  
"You know? These were a good couple of weeks," Joan said, taking Adam's hand.  
  
"Unchallenged," Adam agreed.  
  
"Hey, you four, dinner's ready!" Helen called to them from the porch. They scrambled to get up, then headed inside for Christmasmukkah dinner.  
  
-End-  
  
****  
  
Authors Note: Yay! Another one done! If you're reading this, that's a good thing because that means you finished this story, which is needed for my next story 'Ride of Your Life', the sequel to this story. Chapter one should be up by the end of the week, and thanks for reading. Oh yeah, and check out Something to Sleep To, by me and Magical Turkey.   
  
**** 


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